Coakley said she was “encouraged” by the decision Tuesday by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, a health care non-profit classified a “public charity” by the state. She said compensation for board members at public charities was “extraordinarily rare.”

The stipends can range $70,000 to $80,000 annually.

Blue Cross said Tuesday it would work with Coakley on its classification as a “public charity.” It said the classification creates expectations that the $13 billion enterprise will “operate like museums.”